Where it all started

The vision started several years before Ustream was officially born in 2007, when two of the company’s founders, John Ham and Brad Hunstable, were attending the United States Military Academy at West Point. At the time, Brad, Ustream’s current CEO, was unable to watch his brother’s rock band perform live onstage. Others in the military experienced similar challenges – they couldn’t watch their daughter graduate from college or they missed the big game with their friends. The specifics always differed, but the common thread was a single need: the ability to share real-time experiences with a large circle of family and friends, connecting people around the world with the most important events in their lives.

In comes Ustream. John and Brad joined forces with Gyula Feher, and together the three founders set out to make their vision a reality.

Ustream today

Live video is coming of age as a way to quickly disseminate information to large, engaged audiences. Over the last 7 years, Ustream’s socially-fueled video platform has powered more than 85 million live streams (more than 2 billion viewer-hours of content!) across the globe. We’ve seen it all – major press events, product launches, interactive how-to classes, intense international protests, entertainment gatherings, elaborate church services, (really) cute puppies, the list goes on. But what ties it all together is one single thread: the power of live video.

Our mission is to empower businesses and societies to be more transparent, more productive and create deeper relationships through the power of video. Many businesses and organizations use Ustream to extend the reach of on-the-ground events, while others utilize our technology for brand building or social commerce. Meanwhile, citizen journalists and other innovative users have long used the platform as a communications vehicle, leveraging the social virality that accompanies Ustream’s live video platform.